Hailing from Greece, Everos present us with “Descensus Ad Inferos” their debut album following several demos. I was surprised not to have heard of them before; to date the band have managed to snap up some great support slots across Europe, playing alongside significant second wave bands such as Mayhem, Satyricon and Gehenna in promoting their album.

The initial impression immediately evident is the symphonic, melodic approach taken to this album, it is great to hear a great deal of riffs packed in from all instruments, not just the guitars with keyboards as a thickener with the atmosphere and power maintained throughout. Despite this, the album is also diverse, ranging from savage blast passages akin to Emperor to soft, fantasy ridden melodic (maybe even cheesy) passages and interlude gives a sort of journey effect much like Bal-Sagoth. Also put into the mix is a splattering of thrash riffs and occasionally some death tinged riffs and a wide vocal range making a succinct yet interesting release void of monotony which a great deal of black metal is plagued by; to make a comparison, mid-era Dimmu Borgir would be a parallel but less complex and more melodic.

Also worth pointing out is the absolutely brilliant artwork, very well done and fits the atmospheric vibe of the music and appointing the legendary Dan Swano (production credits for Dark Funeral, Marduk, Dissection) to handle mixing and mastering, and a good job done. The sound is very balanced, a slight raw edge but beefy enough for the heavier palm muted riffs to have some balls and with the keys high enough in the mix to make them stand out as their own instrument rather than a background texture. The drums also sound crisp and cut through the mix well and are executed well, doing their job without being overplayed. I don’t know if they spent too much on artwork/production or if the lame Greek economy screwed them over but maybe they should sort a more professional photo shoot to do themselves justice.

Overall a strong effort particularly for a debut album, while it won’t appeal too much to black metal purists who prefer the old school style, listeners accustomed to keyboards and melodic black metal should give it a go.